Defining Success: Maeve Roughton

Maeve Roughton is a writer, artist, and strategist living and working in downtown New York City.

How do you define success?

Merriam-Webster says it best: the correct or desired result of an attempt.

How do you measure your own success?

By the freedom each opportunity gives me.

How does success feel?

Better than being smothered with kittens (I would give anything to be smothered with kittens).

When was the last time you felt successful? What happened?

Yesterday, after I got nine hours of sleep, started pounding the keyboard at 6:00 am, went on a four-mile afternoon run, attended a community meeting, ate cheeseburgers with my man, and wondered to myself how it could ever be better than this -- life, free, in downtown New York.

How do you celebrate your success?

Hard runs, big cheeseburgers, lots of sleep.

What advice would you offer to someone who wants to be successful?

Be patient. If you’re a freelancer, like me, there will be plenty of times when you have no other choice. The work, money, and worry will come and go. And keep coming and keep going. The time you get in between to think, dream, and create is what will define you and your success.